Historian and author Mark Mussari will present a talk focused on Verner Panton’s innovative designs which used Pop and Op Art as inspirations and employed many new, synthetic materials. More importantly, Panton moved Danish Modern away from the traditional wood furniture that had made it world-famous. Instead, he made “modern” furniture contemporary again, especially in his use of colors and patterns reflecting the psychedelic styles of the 1960s. In this way, every space Panton designed was a “happening”—an encounter wth design driving every element of environment. He submerged visitors in color and pattern.

Mark Mussari has his Ph.D. in Scandinavian Languages & Literature from the University of Washington in Seattle and has taught at the University of Arizona and Villanova University. The author of numerous magazine and academic articles on art and design, he is also a professional translator who has translated books on Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl. He is also the author of the new book Danish Modern: Between Art and Design